Coupar attended, "Facadism:" the Work of Adaptive Re-Use at The James L. Flood Mansion. For some decades, San Francisco and other preservation-minded cities have been requiring architects to preserve, in whole or in part, older buildings within new construction. The event hosted by ICAA of Northern California featured a lively moderated panel discussion with Steven Semes and Charles Bloszies. Both of these architects are heavily involved in this phenomenon to debate the causes and consequences of the work of “adaptive re-use.”

Steven Semes is the author of "The Future of the Past: A Conservation Ethic for Architecture, Urbanism, and Historic Preservation" and professor at the University of Notre Dame School of Architecture, where he is also the founding director of the graduate program in historic preservation. Charles Bloszies, FAIA is the author of "Old Buildings, New Designs" and architect of many adaptive re-use projects in San Francisco, including the restored San Francisco Chronicle Building, now the Ritz-Carlton Residences on Market Street, as well as the former Mutual Savings Bank Building at 1 Kearny Street.